The Chicago Bears are one of only two remaining charter members of the National Football League. The Monsters of the Midway were originally named the Decatur Staleys, named after the company that it represented, the A.E. Staley food starch company, they initially played in an independent league; the team won the Central Illinois Championship in 1919. (The Arizona Cardinals, initially the Chicago Cardinals are the other original charter member of the NFL.)
The team hired employee George Halas to manage the team in 1920. The team was now playing in the American Football League, soon to be known as the NFL. Halas had played at the University of Illinois and professionally with the Hammond Pros as well as the Decatur Staley. They team moved to Chicago in 1921 and was renamed the Chicago Staleys. Halas purchased the team in 1922 for the sum of $100 and renamed the team the Chicago Bears. In 2020, Forbes magazine reported that the team was worth $3.5 billion dollars.
The Bears won league championships in 1921, 1932, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946 and 1963 for a total of eight. They also won Super Bowl XX in 1985.
Cross town rivals the Chicago Cardinals, the other remaining charter member of the NFL, provided competition to the Bears from 1920 to 1959, when the Cardinals moved to St. Louis. Other early rivalries included the Canton Bulldogs. Although there is no team that can trace their lineage to Canton today, the NFL Hall of Fame is located in Canton, Ohio.
George Halas signs Red Grange to the Pro Game
Financial distress was the norm with most professional football teams of that era. The Bears would play a game at Wrigley Field and attract 5,000 – 6,000 fans. The University of Chicago would play a college game and attract 40,000 – 50,000. There was a prevailing perception that the professional game was inferior to the college game. In 1925, Halas signed Red Grange, the best college player of the day to a contract. Halas was hoping to legitimize professional football. Grange had played locally, at the University of Illinois. Anxious to sign the top offensive player of the day, Halas and Grange came to an agreement before Grange even finished college. The signing of Grange triggered an NFL policy that is still in place today; players can only be signed to a professional contract after their senior class has graduated.
In additional to Grange, Bronko Nagurski another star running back, and eventual Hall of Fame player, was part of the 1932 and 1933 championship teams.
Sid Luckman, a Hall of Fame quarterback, led the Bears to five championship title game in the 1940s, winning four. In the 1940 title game, the Bears defeated the Washington Redskins 73-0. The game is remarkable for two reasons; the score is the most lopsided in NFL history to this date, and the introduction of the T-formation took place in this game. The formation incorporated two running backs on the field, instead of the customary one. Known as the “Monsters of the Midway,” the nickname came about due to the Bears’ dominating defenses of that era.
The Advent of the Middle Linebacker
The 1963 championship team featured players such as tight end Mike Ditka and Bill George. George had begun his pro football career in 1952 as a middle guard in the then standard five-man defensive front. Most people credit the 4-3 defensive configuration to New York Giants assistant coach Tom Landry and his use of Sam Huff; George is also associated with the early development of the middle linebacker.
The Bears played at Wrigley Field through 1970, and at Soldier Stadium since then.
George Halas retired as head coach in 1967, but remained as owner until his death in 1983. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural class of 1963. His daughter, Virginia Halas McCaskey is remains as the principal owner, along with her 11 children and two nephews. Collectively, they own over 80% of the team.
Some of the key players from Halas’s last teams include Hall of Famers middle linebacker Dick Butkus, and running back Gale Sayers.
The Resurgence of the Monsters of the Midway
Mike Ditka returned to the Chicago Bears to coach the team to a 1985 Super Bowl victory. Leading the team were running back Walter Payton. Buddy Ryan coached one of the best defenses ever, the “46” defense.
The Chicago Bears currently play in the National Football League (NFC) North Division along with the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.
Barry Schustermann
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